Hometeam: Mountaineers rally to stun Highlanders

Friday

Mar 1, 2013 at 6:00 AM

Both Wachusett Regional and Doherty High showed resiliency and character in Thursday night’s Central Mass. Division 1 quarterfinal. Problem is, someone had to lose. In the end, the second-seeded Mountaineers prevailed, rallying from a 13-point deficit early in the fourth quarter to gain a 60-58 victory in their own gym.

By Craig Holt CORRESPONDENT

Both Wachusett Regional and Doherty High showed resiliency and character in Thursday night’s Central Mass. Division 1 quarterfinal. Problem is, someone had to lose.

In the end, the second-seeded Mountaineers prevailed, rallying from a 13-point deficit early in the fourth quarter to gain a 60-58 victory in their own gym.

Wachusett (18-3) plays third-seeded Milford High in a semifinal at 5:30 p.m. Sunday at WPI. The seventh-seeded Highlanders finished 13-7.

“We knew Doherty has a talented group, and we knew that we were going to have our hands full,” Wachusett coach Tom Gibbons said. “But we battled hard in what turned out to be a mental toughness win and a character win. We won a close game on a night that we didn’t shoot too well. But we hung in there and we continued to play defense.”

A 3-pointer by senior guard Jamal Mustapha (17 points) gave Doherty a 58-54 lead with 2:25 to play. Moments later, senior center Alex Cooper cut the deficit to two with a put-back.

The Highlanders turned the ball over and Berman missed a shot. But the Mountaineers grabbed the offensive rebound and called time out. They inbounded the ball to Berman, who was fouled and made both shots, giving Wachusett a 59-58 lead with eight seconds left.

“Those two free throws by Zack Berman at the end didn’t even hit the rim,” Gibbons said. “Zack Berman wasn’t going to let us lose this game.”

Doherty turned the ball over on its next possession before senior forward Zack Knapp hit a final free throw.

“This was a great win against a very good Doherty team,” Berman said. “It was a game of runs, but when we were down, we knew we were going to come back. The character and resiliency on this team are second to none, and I attribute that to the coaches.”

Doherty seemed to have the game under control when senior guard Richi Saya made a baseline drive with 5:55 left in the fourth quarter, increasing the Highlanders’ lead to 54-41. Wachusett, unfazed, ran off 10 straight points to close to 54-51.

Three-pointers by Berman and Knapp on consecutive possessions ignited the Mountaineers’ comeback.

“I’m proud of all my kids and they came out and gave it their all for 32 minutes,” Doherty coach Jermaine Chavis said. “But it’s a tough loss, and I feel bad for the kids. We played hard, we spread the floor a little and did the things that we wanted to do. I wish Wachusett the best — they’re a tough team.”

Senior guard Antonio Jones scored 13 points for Doherty.

Contact Craig Holt at sports@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @tgsports.